Permiso AM in Spain: Age, Vehicles and the Exam (2026)

Checked: September 2026. The Permiso AM is Spain's moped licence: two- and three-wheel mopeds of up to 50 cc and 45 km/h, and light quadricycles (the "coches sin carnet" microcars). You can get it from 15, it has a theory test and a closed-circuit practical, and it costs a 94.05 euro DGT fee plus the medical certificate and, almost always, a driving school. If you already hold a Permiso B you do not need it: the B authorises mopeds. This guide answers the questions people actually search and ends where preparation begins: the Permiso AM practice test.

What the AM licence is and what it lets you ride

Article 4 of the Reglamento General de Conductores (Real Decreto 818/2009) defines the AM as the licence for two- and three-wheel mopeds and light quadricycles, plus vehicles for people with reduced mobility. A moped, under the vehicle regulations, is a two- or three-wheeler with an engine of no more than 50 cc (if combustion) and a design speed of no more than 45 km/h. The light quadricycle is the European L6e category: the 45 km/h microcar known in Spain as the coche sin carnet.

There is a variant, the AM limitado, which only covers three-wheel mopeds and light quadricycles. You get it when you take the practical test on one of those vehicles instead of a two-wheel moped. Pass on a microcar and you cannot ride a 50 cc motorbike with it.

The vehicle categories the regulation names are covered in the Vehicle Types chapter, and the exam asks about them, for example which vehicles the AM permit authorises and the maximum engine size of a moped.

Minimum age and requirements

The minimum age is 15. One restriction is widely missed: until 18 the AM does not allow you to carry a passenger. From 18 you can, the passenger must be at least 12, and from 7 if the rider is their parent, guardian or an adult authorised by them. Homologated, fastened helmets for both, on every road.

Besides the age you need residence in Spain, no driving ban, a medical fitness report (the psicotécnico, valid 90 days), the exam application (modelo 04 if you apply as a free candidate) and the fee. The exam phrases it its own way: from what age can the AM permit be obtained.

Can you get the AM without an exam?

For a new AM, no: theory and circuit test are both required. But the question usually hides another, and there the answer changes:

• If you hold a Permiso B, you do not need the AM. Article 4 lists mopeds among the vehicles the B authorises, so you can ride a moped or a light quadricycle on your car licence with no paperwork.
• If you hold an A1, A2 or A, the regulation says the A1 implies the AM, and the A2 and A imply the A1. It is already on your card.
• If you had the old moped licence (issued before December 2009), the regulation's second transitional provision treats it as an AM. Those licences took on the permit's 10-year validity, so today it needs renewing, with a medical and the fee, but no exam.
• If you hold an EU or EEA licence, it is valid in Spain while in force; exchange is voluntary and exam-free. With a non-EU licence, exam-free exchange exists only for countries with an agreement with Spain, and each agreement says which classes it covers.

Sites promising an "AM without an exam" to a 16-year-old with none of those prior licences are not describing any legal route.

The AM theory test

The test is multiple choice, taken on a computer at a DGT exam office. Driving schools and test platforms agree on the format: 20 questions and a maximum of 2 mistakes. The DGT does not publish question counts per licence class; annex V of the regulation only fixes the content: traffic rules and signs plus the safety questions specific to mopeds. On time, most sector sources say 20 minutes; treat that as indicative.

Two things to know before you book. First, the AM theory test is taken in Spanish or a co-official language; the English version the DGT offers is for the Permiso B only. Second, the risk-perception video test the DGT announced has only ever been described for the B exam; in September 2026 the DGT itself denied there was an official date, and nothing indicates it applies to the AM.

Results are published the same afternoon from 17:00 and can be checked in miDGT. To prepare, the Permiso AM practice test uses the same format with an explanation after every question, and the Driver Licence chapter explains the classes and their ages.

The practical: a circuit test, no road test

The AM is the only motor-vehicle licence without an open-road test: annex V requires one for A1, A2, B, C, D and their trailer classes, but not for the AM. The practical is a closed-circuit skills test with two linked manoeuvres at low speed in first gear: a slalom between five poles or cones without touching or moving them, and a ride along a narrow strip without leaving it or putting a foot down. The DGT publishes the official diagram.

The vehicle must be an ordinary two-wheel moped with two mirrors and no aids that make the manoeuvres easier; take the test on a closed-body light quadricycle and you get the AM limitado. There is no legal obligation to use a driving school, and the theory can be prepared independently, but the circuit test needs an insured, compliant moped, which is impractical without a licence, so almost everyone goes through a school.

From 1 October 2026 the obligations on the bike change too: gloves on interurban roads, closed footwear everywhere and, for mopeds, a homologated rather than certified helmet from October 2027. We explain it in Spain's new traffic rules 2026.

What the AM costs

Failing both sittings of one fee means paying another. With two mistakes allowed out of twenty, the gap between passing first time and paying 94.05 euros again is usually a matter of having done enough tests before booking.

Validity and points

The AM is valid for 10 years until 65 and 5 years after that, like the B. Getting it puts you into the points system as a novice: 8 points for the first period, rising to 12 after two years without losing any, then 14 and 15. Losing them all at 16 on a moped is easier than it looks: riding without a helmet costs 4 and using a phone 6.

Frequently asked questions

Can I carry a passenger on an AM licence?

Only from 18. Until then the licence does not authorise passengers. The passenger must be at least 12, or 7 if the rider is their parent or guardian, and must wear a helmet.

Do I need an AM if I have a Permiso B?

No. The B authorises mopeds and light quadricycles. Nor do you need it with an A1, A2 or A, which include it.

How many questions are in the AM theory test?

Driving schools and test platforms say 20 questions with a maximum of 2 mistakes. The DGT does not publish the figure on its site, so confirm with your school.

Can the AM theory test be taken in English?

No. The DGT offers the English exam for the Permiso B only. The AM test is in Spanish or a co-official language.

Sources

• Reglamento General de Conductores (Real Decreto 818/2009), articles 4, 5 and 12, annexes V and VII and second transitional provision: BOE consolidated text.
• DGT, licence classes: dgt.es; AM manoeuvres: dgt.es; riding a moped (passengers, helmets): dgt.es; exam requirements: dgt.es.
• DGT electronic office, exam application (fee 2.1 per class): sede.dgt.gob.es; 2026 fee table via RACE.
• DGT, points system: dgt.es.
• EU and EEA licence exchange: dgt.es; agreement countries: dgt.es.
• Theory format (20 questions, 2 mistakes) per TraficoTest and Aprobify; exam languages per Motorpasión; DGT denial on the risk-video date (30 August 2026) per Gestión Vial.
• Driving-school prices per Insertia; medical certificate per PracticaTest.

Last updated: September 2026. Fees and requirements change; confirm them on dgt.es before booking.